Nerdy to Lady
by Fushigi Doll
Summary: SasuHina AU High school. What do you do after receiving a sudden break-up from a boyfriend? Get him back? Goodness no. You make sure they regret their decision! How? Transform into a complete beauty. For Hinata, such is the case.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just a little warning. This story is NOT for Sari fans. I have nothing against her but I made her mean for the sake of the story plot. But I still hope you'd enjoy reading. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Nerdy to Lady**

* * *

**Chapter 1 **

"Hey"

She raised her head to meet the jade eyes of the person sitting across from her.

"Let's break up"

It took her mind a few seconds to process what he had just said to her, unable to find some sense in his words. She froze and frantically searched his eyes for a sign that he was kidding. She found none. Then it came to her that he was never the type to joke around. Why should now be any different? Her eyes widened from behind her large and thick glasses and she stared at him in shock and disbelief. "…what?" Her soft voice quivered. She saw him shrug his broad shoulders, almost apathetically that it hurt.

"Let's break up" he repeated and stood up from his chair. "That's all what I came here for." He gave her one last look before he turned his back to her, leaving her stunned and staring with her pale lavender eyes at his retreating figure in the library.

She suddenly heard snickering and she turned around to find two girls smirking at her from their table. They didn't even bother lowering their voice and purposefully let her hear their conversation.

"Sabaku Gaara finally got tired of her, huh?" one girl said to the other beside her.

The other snorted. "Oh please! Who wouldn't be?" she said, arching a beautifully trimmed eyebrow. "Hyuga Hinata's such a dweeb, after all! It's even more surprising they lasted for one year."

"What did Gaara-kun see in her anyway?"

Feeling devastated at not only their words but also at the sudden break-up, Hinata shut the book she was just reading earlier and ran out of the library with the girls' derisive remarks ringing in her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears from falling down her pale cheeks. She ran aimlessly around Suna Academy with her head down, trying to chase away the constricting pain in her chest when she collided with something hard enough to make her fall on her behind.

"Whoa! Watch where you're going, will you—" The voice abruptly stopped upon realizing who had just bumped into them.

Hinata looked up to find a group of five unfamiliar guys staring down at her in surprise.

"Well, well, well," the guy she bumped with spoke first. An amused smirk played on his lips. "If it isn't the intellectual dweeb."

"Man, look at her" another said. "She's crying."

A look of confusion crossed her features for a second before her hand slowly came up to touch her cheek for confirmation. When she felt the wetness on her fingers, she immediately withdrew her hand as if it burned her and she looked down to see her tears on the tips of her pale fingers. Realization dawned on her like a raging waterfall and she found herself unable to stop her tears in front of the group. Her vision blurred and she could only hear their laughter when one of them said something that the others found amusing. She immediately stood up and ran away from them as fast as she could, allowing her feet to take her to a place where she could be all alone.

She hadn't taken notice of the curious stares she got from the students she passed by. She hadn't even stopped to apologize like she usually does when she bumped into someone for the umpteenth time. No, she was too hurt to care about manners she had been taught of ever since she was little. She was too broken-hearted to even entertain the pain in her knees and forehead when she tripped several times.

A sob escaped her lips despite her extra effort in holding it back. It was when she finally opened a door and stepped outside to the school's rooftop that her shaking knees buckled and she fell to the floor crying like a baby. She couldn't stop her body from shaking. Her tears wouldn't stop from falling. Her loud and deep sobs filled the silent and peaceful atmosphere of the place.

Why? What happened that made him break up with her? What did she do? What did she say? What did she _think_ to make him dismiss their relationship? Everything had been going well between them. What happened? How did the decision cross his mind?

Why did he not seem to care anymore?

It was so sudden that she was caught off guard. Just yesterday during the weekend they were having a good time together, watching a romantic movie back at her home. Just what happened that everything went wrong?

A new wave of sadness filled her at the memory and she sobbed louder. Images flooded her mind. Images of Gaara and herself, memories of the day she confessed to him and he accepted, memories of the few number of dates they went to and an equally few number of times they shared a kiss. She had been completely satisfied with her life. For the past two years since she transferred schools in Wind country, she had been happy despite being far away from her friends back in Fire country. She was happy because she had Gaara. She was happy because she loved him.

But that no longer mattered.

It was over.

After what felt like hours, her sobs toned down to sniffs and she slowly got up from the shameful position she got herself into. Her pale eyes shifted around the place very familiar to her like the back of her hand. There was always no one around whenever she goes there and, ever since coming to the academy, the rooftop became her favorite spot in campus. Every day, she would be there and relish in the peacefulness of the place.

But that was until Gaara became her boyfriend. It took her all of her courage just to confess to him. To be honest, she half-expecting to be rejected. But when he did the contrary, although he just gave her a nod in response to her confession, it was more than enough to make her burst with happiness. So when they started dating, she had completely forgotten her comforting sanctuary and let Gaara lead her everywhere where there are too many people for comfort. But she understood why. She understood him. She couldn't ever blame him for having such a big crowd wanting to be close with him. After all, he's the most popular guy in school. The fact was one of the many reasons she hadn't expected to be able to date him.

After fixing herself up, Hinata turned around and weakly made her way inside the school. When she walked down the corridors, she couldn't help but notice that there was some commotion amongst the students around. Most of them, she noted, had their eyes filled with surprise glued to the screens of their cell phones. She caught several students glancing warily in her direction. She was used to these stares, but she knew something was off. She momentarily shrugged the matter off when she caught the room she was looking for in her peripheral vision. Turning to her right, she opened the door leading to the restroom.

She went to stand in front of one of the three mirrors placed together against the wall and grimaced at what she saw. If it weren't for the thick glasses she was wearing, her red puffy eyes would've stood out and frightened the hell out of her to the point that she would scream. Her indigo hair that was already tied haphazardly in a bun behind her head, save for the bangs she had that covered her entire forehead, was even messier and a few strands could be seen sticking out in different directions. Her lips were drier and more chapped than usual. Her uniform, which is the _seifuku_ (sailor fuku/uniform)—black blazer over white cotton blouse with a red bow and knee-length pleated skirt—was badly crumpled and dirty with that many times she tripped and when she curled herself on the floor while she cried earlier. She looked down and noticed that her black mid-calf length socks also suffered the same state as her entire uniform. Her white _uwabaki_ (indoor shoes) appeared to be the only thing less dirty, surprisingly.

Her shoulders visibly slumped. She should at least make herself presentable before going out of the restroom, even a little bit. Whipping her head from side to side, she made sure no one's around. Once she was sure that she's all alone, she raised her hands to her thick glasses and gently removed it from her face.

She may not be an attractive girl—she rather looked very plain in her own point of view—but if there's one thing to look at her, it's her eyes. One of the reasons her family, the Hyugas, are well-known internationally, aside from their influential Hyuga Corporation, was because of their unique eyes. While most of her relatives have white-grayish orbs, hers had a hint of lavender in them. Because of her unusual eyes, people tend to stare too much for her liking, which is why she wears fake huge glasses to cover it up. She was never one for attention ever since she was little as she easily gets uncomfortable.

But, apparently, that didn't stop capturing people's attention.

Once satisfied with her appearance—which didn't change much, really—Hinata put her glasses back on. She turned and was about to leave when the door swung open and three girls came in. They stopped short when their gaze fell on her.

"Look, it's Hinata the nerd" one of them said to the other two.

Hinata listened to their laughter while she kept her head down. She was used to this kind of bullying. Ever since she became Gaara's girlfriend, most girls couldn't accept the fact that he chose her over them. Her that was the "nerd", the "intellectual dweeb", the "smart-ass" and "miss goody-two-shoes"—as she was a straight A student and was dubbed as the most intelligent student in school, even more than her seniors. The nicknames they had for her had been started by none other than Gaara's fans club and, no sooner, the whole school calls her the same way. Ever since then, not once had her true name been used if not for the sake of mockery towards her. And Gaara hadn't done anything about it, despite it being common knowledge among the students and teachers in school. The fact left a stabbing pain in her chest.

Basically, since Gaara broke-up with her, she was now all alone.

She felt her eyes sting with tears again and she immediately squeezed it shut in an attempt to push them back.

"Hey, you movin' or what?" one of the girls asked in an annoyed tone.

Hinata quickly stepped aside to give way for them. She waited until they were all inside and silently exited the restroom. But still, she was grateful that, despite being bullied every day through insulting remarks, no one has ever laid a finger on her. She supposed she has her family's reputation to thank for that. It is not a secret that her family owns one of the largest and most successful corporations throughout the world and that she is the heiress to said corporation. One would think that people would try and get close to her because of this. But, no. No one wished to be acquaintances with someone so plain-looking such as her. If it weren't for her surname and eyes, no one would've have guessed she was the heiress.

It wasn't until someone bumped her by her shoulder that she realized she was at the ground floor of the academy. Her eyes caught the sight of a large group of students crowding at a certain spot. Then, she remembered the commotion earlier before she entered the restroom. She figured that maybe what the students were currently looking at was somehow related to it. Curious, she made her way towards the crowd.

"E-Excuse me" she said, her voice a whisper. Obviously, no one heard her. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Excuse m-me" The noise drowned the somewhat loud volume of her voice. Thankfully, the guy in front of her managed to hear her and turned around.

His eyes widened and, in a voice loud enough for those in front of him to hear, he announced, "the dweeb's here!"

To her surprise, upon hearing the guy, the crowd split apart and gave her way to see what they were looking at. Once her eyes landed ahead, she understood why.

And the throbbing pain in her chest increased tenfold.

She stared in utter horror at Gaara and Sari making out openly in public. She hadn't known Gaara the type of person to be so open with his affections. At least, he had never been that way to her. But that wasn't what was crushing her. The fact that they just separated earlier and he was already kissing another girl was eating her up inside. Not to mention, the said girl was the most popular Sari Chairo. Her straight long brown hair and sparkling brown eyes made her the most beautiful girl in school, according to what Hinata had heard from some guys. But she couldn't really say otherwise even if she did try. In her own opinion, Sari was really the most popular and beautiful girl in Suna Academy.

"Oi, nerd, is it true you and Gaara-kun broke-up?" a female asked.

Forcing her eyes to look away from the couple, Hinata turned to the side and saw the girl who asked the question with her arms crossed over her chest, waiting for an answer. News sure does spread like wildfire. Hinata wasn't sure if she even wanted to answer. But she slowly nodded, anyway. At her confirmation, the crowd gasped and she could almost hear the happy squeals of the girls.

Unable to take any more, Hinata quickly turned and left for her classroom to get her things.

She wanted to go home.

* * *

A pale hand raised and knocked on the large wooden door to Hinata's room. After several seconds of waiting and still no answer came, the ten-year old brown-haired girl turned to her cousin standing beside her. "What do you think happened, Neji nii-sama?" she asked him.

Neji looked down at his little cousin's eyes that was very similar to his and saw the concern swimming in their depths. He gave the little girl a small gentle pat on the head. "I wouldn't know, Hanabi" he said to her. "But I am certain it is related to Hinata's school."

Hanabi walked forward towards the floor's railings of the Hyuga Mansion and stared down at the maids scurrying around the hall below her. "Hinata nee-sama's maid told me that as soon as she arrived from school earlier, she refused to have tea like she usually does and, instead, locked herself up in her room. It's been hours and she's still in there" she gestured to the door.

"I see" Neji said. "Then, if it has been hours, she's probably asleep."

"Probably" Hanabi said. "But I'm worried."

Neji made his way to Hanabi and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't be" he said. "You'll see her later and would be able to ask her. You know Hinata. She would never miss dinner."

A grin finally made its way to Hanabi's face. "Mainly because father forbids us to miss it because it's 'family time'."

Neji couldn't help but give her a small smile. "Then, be glad uncle Hiashi made it a rule for all of us to follow."

Comfortable silence followed them for a moment before Hanabi spoke once again. "Thanks, Neji nii-sama."

Neji just nodded. Shifting back his gaze to the wooden door, his pale eyes narrowed almost as if he could see through the thick object. _Hinata, you better come out soon_, he thought. _I have a strong feeling this has got to do with that Sabaku. I never really trusted that guy…_

* * *

The knocking to her door stopped a few minutes ago. But Hinata knew her cousin Neji and her little sister Hanabi were still standing outside conversing with each other. Their voices were muffled by the thick wooden door, so she couldn't really make out what they were saying. But she knew it was about her. She also knew Hanabi was worrying again. The way she knocked gave her away.

She felt bad, but she didn't plan on coming out soon. Not when her uncovered eyes were very puffy that she had to make an effort in making them stay open. She had been crying non-stop for five hours straight. She would've cried for a lot longer if not for the lack of tears. Everyone in school deserted her. Now, even her own tears had left her. So, she settled for staring blankly at the ceiling while she lay on her huge bed. She didn't feel like doing anything anyway even though she has homework. She was too depressed, too hurt. The pain in her chest may have subsided but it never left. She almost wished she could just puncture her chest and pull her heart out to stop the pain she felt. Almost. She wasn't suicidal, thank you very much.

It's just that the break-up was so sudden. She had a hard time coping up with the events that just happened. Gaara ending their relationship, the painful remarks of the others...

…Gaara kissing Sari.

Her hand instinctively shot up and gripped her loose white shirt that covered her chest. Gaara had moved on so fast. It didn't help that she witnessed and saw them with her very own eyes. He moved on so fast it almost felt like…like…

She covered her eyes with the back of her arm. Maybe she trusted him too much or maybe she's just too dense and stupid to notice, or maybe both. Gaara broke up with her. He moved on too fast. Gaara broke up with her to move on to Sari.

"_Sabaku Gaara finally got tired of her, huh?_

"_What did Gaara-kun see in her anyway?"_

"_Let's break up"_

Gaara left her for Sari.

She let out a sob as she felt a single tear slide down her cheek. "Gaara-kun…"

* * *

After taking the entrance exam four days ago, here he was yet again, for his first day of school.

"So this is it, huh?" a deep voice spoke. "Suna Academy…"

"Yes" he replied. Turning his head to the source of the voice, he faced his impassive older brother. "It's a lot different than Konoha Academy." His brows slightly furrowed. His brother chuckled and he immediately felt a hand ruffle his jet black hair.

"Well, if you want to have it easy, I advise you to stop comparing Fire country with Wind."

"But, Itachi—"

"No buts" Itachi cut off. "Our family's here now. Father and mother are not sure how long we'll be staying here. So, it is for the best that we enjoy it here as much as we can." He gave a smile.

He crossed his arms over his chest in a defiant manner and frowned at Itachi. "I hate it when you talk to me like I'm still a child." He narrowed his eyes at his older brother and his frown deepened when he noticed him try to hold back his laughter.

"Yes, I know, I'm sorry" Itachi said. "I guess I keep on forgetting that you're already in high school." Before he could even utter a reply, Itachi turned and walked away to his car while waving up a hand. "I'll see you later" he said.

He watched him get on his car and drove away. It wasn't until the vehicle was out of sight that he turned around and walked towards the school building. He had to admit, despite it being very different from Konoha Academy, Suna Academy wasn't so bad at all. The building was tall, wide and big. The ground, unlike in Konoha that was filled with grass, was cemented and the plants that could be seen were nothing but potted.

"Kyaa~ so handsome!"

He turned his head curiously to the side only to slightly grimace at finding a group of girls squealing and whispering to each other while staring at him.

"He's looking over here!"

"What to do?"

"Let's wave at him!"

He immediately looked away and brought back his focus forward. He barely managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes. If there's something that remained constant between Fire and Wind countries, it's the squealing, giggling, blushing girls. And he does not like it one bit! He despised those silly creatures. Back in Konoha, he hated being swarmed by them like pesky bugs. He hated getting jumped at, attacked and ambushed by them. He hated how they would go so far as to sneak on him at the men's restroom just to have a peak at his little buddy. He hated how they would have a picture of him he hadn't even noticed them taking. He hated how they would rub their bodies against him, especially those who don't have anything worthwhile to rub with. He _hated_ it! And he could only pray to every existing god he knew that that would not be the case in this country. He _desperately_ prays that they would have enough sanity to leave him alone. He prays or so help him.

Finally stopping in front of a closed door to the director's office, he briefly wondered why he was instructed to go directly to the director and not to the information desk or even to the principal, for that matter. Shrugging it off and not really caring, he raised a hand and gave a short but loud knock on the door. He heard a male's deep voice on the other end, permitting him to enter.

Upon stepping inside the huge office, he immediately spotted a man with grayish-red hair and dark eyes seated behind a wide wooden desk, staring back at him. His gaze landed on the name plate situated near the edge of the table in front of the man seated. _Sabaku Shukaku_, the name in golden letters had read. His black eyes went back to the man who was well-known as the director of Suna Academy, the most prestigious school in Wind country.

He watched the director rise from his seat and looked back at him. "It's a pleasure to have you as our student,"—a small smile—"Uchiha Sasuke"

* * *

**A/N: First of all, the "Chairo" in Sari Chairo means "brown". At least, that's what I researched on. And I hope you didn't mind me using Ichibi's name for the fourth Kazekage's name—too lazy to make a new epic one—and Gaara's supposed-to-be title for his first and last name, just omitting the character "no". I really don't think I'm making any sense here…**

**Moving on, as promised, this is my new story and first AU. The pairings are based solely on the votes I got from the poll I made. As it turned out, GaaHina and SasuHina were the top two pairings that won. And since I got a request from whisperwind-v that Gaara should be the bad guy, well, I granted it :)**

**So how is it? Okay? Fine? Good? Bad? Disgusting? Needs to be rewritten? Needs to be removed? Positive and negative reviews are welcomed with open arms. Seriously. Don't be shy…**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm honestly flattered by all your reviews. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review. Also, maybe from now on, I would put up a reply to a few users who have questions regarding the story here in the chapter itself instead of replying individually through PM. That way, those with the same questions could see it. So far, I have one pending question and here's my answer.**

**xXYourDoomXx: How Hinata was going to change? You'll see…as you read on ;D All I'll tell you is that it won't be by herself.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or the Guinness World Records for that matter XD**

**Chapter 2**

Hinata sat silently on her chair and blankly stared at her table, completely ignoring the noisy chatters going on in the classroom. It had been hell when she had arrived in school earlier. Gossips went around about Gaara and Sari dating. She couldn't say she was surprised, seeing as she caught them sucking each other's faces yesterday. But that wasn't the worst part. Along the way to her classroom, she so happened to pass by the couple who was the talk of the entire school.

Just her luck.

She still remembered how she paused and watched Gaara and Sari hold hands. She remembered how Gaara looked up and locked gazes with her for a second before casually looking away like she was a stranger. She remembered the upward twitch at the corner of Sari's lips when she noticed what he just did. She remembered the tears that stung her eyes when they passed by and left her. Alone.

It hurt her, of course, but she supposed she could understand why Gaara broke up with her. She had done a lot of thinking yesterday and she had thought of several reasons why he had left her for Sari. _I mean, look at me...I'd just fade away into nothing when I'd stand beside Sari-san_, she thought sadly. She admits she's the worst girl to pick as a girlfriend. She wondered why Gaara even bothered with her.

Is it because of her family's wealth?

Shaking her head, she quickly dismissed the thought. Gaara wouldn't do that. He's the school director's son. Why would he want her money when he's got more than enough? No, that wasn't even a possibility worth entertaining. If not that, then what?

She honestly didn't know. Even when they began dating, Gaara remained a mysterious person to her. She's ashamed to admit it but she knew very little about him. Not once had he ever opened up to her. She knew he had two older siblings, a brother and a sister, the sister being the eldest of the three. But that wasn't a secret to anyone. In other words, she knew about him just as much as his fan girls. If she hadn't known any better, she would think Gaara never really trusted her.

Did he not really?

It made her mind drift to her conversation yesterday with Neji and Hanabi. They were both shocked to hear the news about the break-up, although Neji appeared to be half-expecting it.

"_I knew it" Neji had said. "That Sabaku was never trustworthy to begin with. It is good that you're not together with him anymore."_

_On the other hand, Hanabi was aggravated. "He left you for a…a bitch?!" she all but shouted._

"_Hanabi-chan!" Hinata scolded, appalled by her use of language._

"_What?" Hanabi countered. "Isn't that what best describes that girl?"_

"_Indeed" Neji said with a nod._

_Hinata tried her best to put on a glare. "Neji nii-san, please don't encourage her."_

_Neji just waved off her comment. "At any rate, Hinata, I don't want you associating with him again."_

"_But, nii-san…"_

"_What is it?"_

_Hinata looked down to the carpet floor of the huge living room. "I…I still l-love him" she said lowly._

"_That's to be expected. You just separated earlier" Neji said. "But even so, I disapprove of that guy and I want you away from him."_

"_I'm with Neji nii-sama" Hanabi said. "After hearing your ex leave you like that just to be with someone else, I didn't like it at all. In fact, I already hate him for what he did. No one treats you like that."_

_Their concern for her touched Hinata. But still, she was just unable to get over Gaara so soon. She closed her eyes when a wave of pain washed through her. It was a few moments later that she started speaking again. "How do I," she paused and slightly frowned, as if unsure that the question really came from her. "How do I forget about him?"_

_Neji and Hanabi exchanged looks for a second before turning back to face her. Neji stood up from his seat beside Hanabi and walked towards where she was sitting. He sat beside her and brought his pale hand up to her head, giving it a pat. "I honestly couldn't give an answer to your question" Neji said. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "I've never been in the same…predicament before, because I've never held feelings for a person in such a way. All I know is that, in time, you would be able to finally let go and move on." He opened his eyes and met her gaze. "Please know that it is not you who should be feeling sorry about the break-up. It is quite obvious that it should be _him_. It is not you who's the problem. Rather, it is _him_. It is not you who should be feeling like this because it is _he_ who's blinded enough to not see how lucky _he_ was to be with you. It is _he_ who couldn't see your true value. It is _he_ who has failed you."_

"_Yeah, because he's a bastard" Hanabi interjected and coolly ignored the sharp look Hinata gave her. "Let me tell you what I think, Hinata nee-sama" she said. "I think he was just playing you." Neji, then, gave her a warning look while Hinata stiffened in her seat._

"_It was just a thought, of course" Neji quickly said, just to save his cousin's feelings._

_Hinata smiled sadly at him. "It's okay. I…I have considered that possibility" she said._

"_Hinata nee-sama, you are better than this. Don't lose to him. Don't give up just because he left you" Hanabi said and walked up to her. Once she was standing in front of Hinata, she placed her hands on her hips, a stern look on her face. "If anything, rub it in his face how wrong and stupid he was for dumping you. Prove to him that you are more worthy than that other woman." She smirked. "Make him kneel before you."_

She lightly shook her head. Her younger sister had always been rough in dealing with things. Neji had immediately objected after what Hanabi had said. As he kept on reminding her, he didn't want her near Gaara again, his words being, "I won't allow you to seduce him back to you! He's not worth the effort. No seducing, period!" She still remembered how Neji had sounded more like a father when he had said those words. She couldn't help but smile at how overprotective he can be.

The door to the classroom slid open and their teacher walked in. The students went back to their seats and greetings were exchanged for a while before the teacher began his announcement.

She could have listened but was too deep in thought to comprehend what was being said. Neji wanted for her never to be near Gaara again. But they go to the same school, their classrooms were beside each other, and just earlier she met Gaara and Sari by coincidence. And, besides, Neji wasn't even there to make sure that won't happen again. He goes to a university for college while she's still in high school. She just couldn't see the point in him wanting her to keep away from her ex.

"…be a new student, as all of you may already know" the teacher said.

Her mind processed the words, trying to understand what was just said. A new student? As they may already know? No, she hadn't heard of anything about a transferee. Then, it occurred to her that she may have heard something from the other students but her mind was too busy looking out for some news about Gaara to even care about some new student.

"…from the school director himself" the teacher said and he turned to look at the door. "Please come in and introduce yourself to your classmates."

She heard the door slide open followed by a few collective gasps and excited squeals from the girls. She soon heard the door close and the sound of even—almost silent—footsteps walked forward to the front of the classroom. Her eyes were still glued to her table, she wasn't really interested in any other things as of the moment unless if it's Gaara-related. She'd rather wallow in her grief more than anything else.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke" she heard a male voice say.

It wasn't until she saw jet black hair and eyes that she realized she had looked up and stared at him. But that wasn't what caught her attention. _Uchiha…? Now, why does that name sound so familiar_, she thought.

The teacher spoke once again. "If you have any question, feel free to—"

"Sasuke-kun, I heard you came from far away" a girl interjected before the teacher could even finish. "Where is it exactly?"

"Fire country" was Sasuke's short reply.

Hinata's eyes widened behind her glasses. Then, it struck her like a bolt of lightning that Uchiha was the name of one of the most powerful corporations known worldwide, besides the Hyuga Corporation. It was said that Fire was also their homeland, much like her family. _No wonder, I knew I heard it before,_ she thought. Something in her felt like there was much more to him that was quite familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Uchiha-san—"

"Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun!" another girl called, not giving any chance to the guy who was about to ask something. "Why did you transfer here in Wind?"

"Family Business" he replied, but it came out more like a grunt.

"Oh, yeah" yet another girl spoke. "Sasuke-kun's the son of the owner of the Uchiha Corp., right?"

Sasuke didn't answer and just fixed his gaze at the wall at the back of the room, looking rather bored and slightly annoyed.

"Sasuke-kun, what's your favorite color?"

"Favorite food?"

"Do you prefer girls with short or long hair?"

Sasuke's eyebrow unnoticeably twitched. He turned to the teacher standing to his side who appeared amused by how all the girls were the only ones who were asking questions. "Am I really obliged to answer all of those?" he asked and watched the teacher give him an apologetic smile.

By this time, Hinata's mind drifted back to her own thoughts again. "Alright, that's enough now, class" the teacher finally intervened, earning a loud groan of protests from the students—mostly the female population. Being the professional that he is, the teacher ignored them and searched for a vacant seat for Sasuke. Several seats miraculously became vacant, the occupants already on the floor from being pushed away by the person beside them. The teacher couldn't help but shake his head and sigh at just how a handsome new student could cause such behavior among the girls. "Please settle down, class" the teacher said. Once everybody was back on their respective seats, he was finally able to find a seat, remembering that the student occupying the spot was currently in the nurse's office. He turned to Sasuke and smiled, gesturing to the place he found.

Without a word, Sasuke made his way towards the chair. He pointedly avoided the hands of the girls who wanted to touch him and ignored their attempt in flirting. When he reached his seat, he placed his bag on the table while he pushed his chair back so he could sit.

Hinata almost jumped up in fright when she heard the clattering of chair in front of her. She clearly wasn't paying any attention, seeing as when she looked up she came face-to-face with the Uchiha's back. Then, she saw the teacher write something on the board, signifying the start of the class. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't focus.

She seriously has to learn how to stop herself from thinking about Gaara or it will cost her academic grades to drop. She didn't want that.

Moments later, she was once more snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of the school bell ringing. Once the teacher had left, she stood up to leave for lunch but nearly fell to the floor when her female classmates rushed towards the Uchiha, pushing her in the process. She tried her best to avoid bumping with them and finally reached the door after a few minutes. With a sigh of relief, she left and headed to the school cafeteria.

She, however, came to an abrupt stop upon spotting, for the second time that day, the couple she last wanted to see. Gaara and Sari were standing in the hallway, holding hands again. Sari was laughing for some reason she wasn't interested to know while Gaara had his eyes closed. Maybe he was just listening to his now-girlfriend's laughter or something, she thought. She gave them one last sorrowful glance before turning to the opposite direction from where she was originally headed. She suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

She decided to just go to the rooftop instead, in the hopes to clear off her mind and the pain in her chest. When she reached her destination, she walked towards the railings and took a deep breath. She relished in the comfort of her favorite place and the wonderful feeling of the cool fresh air blowing gently against her skin.

Then, the image of Gaara and Sari together flashed in her mind.

She violently shook her head, as if it would make the image go away. She was there to clear her thoughts, not think about them. She paused and stared at her skirt pocket. _But still…_ She reached a hand down and pulled something out. Her eyes gazed sadly at the only photo of Gaara and her when they were still together. In the picture, she wore a wide smile and her glasses reflected the light of the camera, hiding her eyes. On the other hand, Gaara was beside her with an expressionless face, his gaze was on somewhere else. She always kept the photo with her, especially because it was the only one they took together. It was precious.

She heard the rooftop door open and she turned around to identify who it was when the wind suddenly blew hard and the photo in her hand slipped away from her grasp. She gasped and reached her hand forward to grab the photo but with her skirt also hiking up, her hands instinctively went to stop the fabric from going all the way up and expose her underwear.

When the wind finally calmed down, her eyes that were squeezed closed slowly opened and settled to look on the floor. Slowly looking up, she saw a pair of shoes just a few feet away from her. Then, she saw black pants followed by an opened black blazer exposing a white polo shirt and red necktie. Her eyes gazed upon a pale neck and finally—she gasped and took a step back.

"U-Uchiha-san…" she whispered while gaping in surprise at the new student who stood in front of her. He had one of his hands inside his pants pocket while the other holding up something he was currently staring at with an unreadable expression on his face. She froze once she realized it was her photo. He had managed to grab it before it was completely lost and never to be found again. Without thinking, she ran to him with her eyes glued to the picture in his hand. Her mind vaguely registered that he looked up and glared at her. It wasn't until he quickly moved to the side that her eyes left the photo and met his annoyed gaze. They stared at each other for a while before she looked away and slowly pointed at the photo that was still in his grasp.

"U-um…th-that belongs to me" she softly said, feeling herself blush in embarrassment. He looked down at his hand and paused, looking as if he was debating on what to do. "P-Please give it back" she said, sounding desperate.

After a minute, he eventually raised his hand and handed her back the photo. She took it and gave him a shaky smile. "Th-thank you, Uchiha-san" she said. She was about to introduce herself, for formality's sake, but before she could even utter another word, he was already gone.

* * *

P.E. was one of his favorite subjects and he was supposed to be enjoying. But being attacked, swarmed and nearly kissed by random girls for the whole duration of morning, save for the boring classes, drained away his energy to at least enjoy something for the day out of this new school of his. Being surrounded by girls was his everyday life in Fire. But back there, he had an idiot best friend—who was surprisingly as popular as him—to keep them away from him whenever they got too close. So maybe he just got used to having someone assist him with his problem that when the girls earlier surrounded him, it cost him most of his energy to tell them off.

The sound of the whistle brought him back to focus. No sooner than that, however, a yelp was heard. He turned his head to the sound and found a girl on the floor of the gym holding her knee. Their P.E. teacher, named Baki, knelt beside her to check for any injuries. The class was doing box vaulting for their exercise. Apparently, the girl had hit her knee hard against the wooden box, which honestly surprised him. They were still onto the shortest box for their height and she was the only one who had failed going over it.

He was about to look away when he stopped and stared closely at the girl. Then, he slowly recognized the female as the same girl he saw at the rooftop during lunchtime. Earlier, he had found himself standing in front of the door to the school's rooftop, in hopes to have a place where he could be alone. He had just barely managed to escape the annoying women that had surrounded him in a blink of an eye. Sighing, he opened the door and was almost glad to see no one was around until he saw a person. A girl, nonetheless. He growled to himself and was about to turn around and leave. However, nature made him stop and forced him to plant his feet on the ground when a sudden heavy gust of wind blew. That was when he spotted something flying through the air towards him and his hand instinctively shot up and caught it. When the wind had settled down, he realized that he was holding a photo of some girl and a guy. The next thing he knew, the girl standing near the railings of the roof was already running to him like some crazy maniac—that's what it looked like to him—and he immediately dodged. The last thing he had wanted at the time was for another silly girl touching him. No way in hell was he going to let that happen.

"U-um…th-that belongs to me" she had said. He felt his eyebrow twitch at the blush that had appeared on her cheeks. When he had looked down, he realized she had referred to the thing he was holding. He just noticed that the girl in the photo was the same girl standing in front of him. Normally, he would've immediately given it back because the photo seriously has no use to him, but he didn't want to risk a girl just tricking him into handing the photo to her just so she could have an excuse in holding his hand. Although his reasoning was a bit far-fetched, her blush was enough to make him suspicious of her.

"P-Please give it back."

He easily heard the desperation in her voice. It was what made him finally give her back the photo. Then, it just came to him that the guy in the photo could probably be her boyfriend or something, making his suspicions of her false. He was perfectly fine with that, if that was the case. His mind vaguely registered that she had thanked him before he had quickly headed to the door and left.

Because of their encounter, her face, although he couldn't clearly see through her glasses, was still fresh in his mind. Besides, she was, by far, the only one wearing such thick and large glasses. One wouldn't forget her that fast.

"The nerd's at it again" Sasuke heard one of his classmates say. "That one was pretty easy. She totally sucked!" The sound of laughter followed.

"Yeah, she really has to change those glasses. Or better yet, if I was the teacher, I would do her a favor and immediately fail her so she wouldn't have to do her best in hitting her knee!"

He couldn't help but agree to most of what they said. She was lame. She sucked. And based on what they had just said, she had been like that for quite some time now. So, why would the teacher keep on letting her do these exercises when there's absolutely no chance for her to even improve? It's a waste of time and energy, so why bother?

The girl finally managed to stand up and Baki blew his whistle, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Next meeting we are dwelling on another type of exercise" he said in a deep and clear voice. "That is all for today. You are dismissed."

The next subject they had was Science. Their teacher was wicked enough to be more than glad in giving them a pop quiz about something they haven't yet discussed, which meant that he wasn't exempted. He didn't mind it, actually. Back in Konoha Academy, he was considered as a genius and was always the number one of his class, both in academics and sports. He didn't have to study to be able to answer and he was quite confident in his knowledge. For him, there was only one thing he really wanted in school.

Always being on top of everything.

Yes, he was very competitive, although not once had he shown it. Only his best friend knew of this side of him and often taunts him with it.

Their science teacher each handed them a clean sheet of paper and started the quiz. Sasuke almost laughed at how easy the questions were. Although there was one question he wasn't able to answer, he didn't let it bother him. He was sure. He was confident that he was going to get the highest mark for the quiz. It was evident on his classmates' faces that they were having a hard time answering. He inwardly smirked. This one's an easy win.

"Put your pens down" the teacher instructed in a stern voice. "Hand over your papers so I could check it."

The class did as told and the teacher went to the desk in front and sat down. The room fell in complete silence while they anxiously waited for the results. A moment later, the teacher stood up and had a smile on her face. If it was an evil grin or a genuine smile, no one could guess. "I have to say I am pleased" she said.

Sasuke suppressed a smirk.

The teacher looked at a paper and read the name aloud. "Uchiha Sasuke got a mark of nineteen out of twenty." The room was immediately filled with gasps of shock and awe followed by a big and loud round of applause.

_Exactly as I expected_, he thought triumphantly. It was this. It was this feeling of being on the top that he had come to enjoy over the years. When he was still a child, he saw how his father praised his big brother whenever he had won a trophy from a national competition. Since then, it had become his goal to make his father proud of him by always being the number one in everything he did. He didn't know since when it had started but, eventually, his goal turned into a habit. Not that it made any difference.

"Excellent job, Uchiha-san" the teacher commended and he gave her a nod. "And also to Hyuga Hinata who got a perfect score" she added. The classroom fell silent, save for the grunts and grumbles of a few students.

"As usual…"

"That's not news anymore."

"I bet she had her brain occupying her entire face for its unusually large size!"

The class burst into laughter.

But Sasuke wasn't laughing. He was stunned, too shocked to react. Perfect score? Perfect? What's perfect? He nearly slapped himself for the stupid question. _Someone's has a higher mark than me?_ He frowned. _Someone named Hyuga Hinata…_His eyes scanned the classroom. The name, specifically the surname, was strangely familiar. But he was too engrossed in finding the person who had surpassed him to care.

After a while and failing to find a single clue to the identity of the person, he decided to let it go this time. Besides, he wasn't really serious when he took the quiz. Next time, for sure, he would have the highest mark.

* * *

Sasuke's frown deepened and he was almost positive that his face looked dark. The quiz week came and quiz, after quiz, after quiz and this Hyuga Hinata successively bested him. If not for him having a mistake or two, it was them getting a bonus point for some numbers that could have more than one answer. If he hadn't known any better, he seriously would have thought that this person was trying to push his buttons.

Almost a week had passed since that fateful day and he still had no clue on the identity of Hyuga Hinata. He tried watching out whenever they had attendance but, somehow, whenever the person's name was called, there wasn't any indication on where they were seated. No sound, or grunt or a raise of hand. Nothing. He would've asked someone from his class but he didn't want to give the women the wrong idea that he wanted to chat with them. As for asking the guys or even the teachers, he really hadn't had the chance to because of being constantly surrounded and ambushed by girls. Flirty and swooning women…he mentally cursed them. It even came to his notice that they already had made a fan club, which wasn't really surprising because it was also the same case in Fire.

"Congratulations to…" the teacher paused and squinted his eyes at the name written on the paper. "Hyuga Hinata for a perfect score."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. Yet again, the name of the person he was starting to hate was called, silently announcing his own defeat. He really has to _hunt_ this person down…and soon. His curiosity, along with his aggravation, was eating him up.

And as fate would have it, he didn't have to search any longer.

"Hyuga-san," their Math teacher called. "Please go to the board and show us the solution to this equation."

At that moment, Sasuke never felt so stupid.

He turned his head and looked back at the sound of the clattering of chair behind him. He searched hard for this person. He watched every classmate, every reaction. He did a lot of thinking...a strategy, a way to best this person. He became frustrated like never before to the point of almost pulling his hairs out.

All this time, this Hyuga Hinata was just _behind_ him.

But that wasn't the worst part.

Hyuga Hinata so happened to be the same girl he had met at the rooftop, the same girl who had worn big and thick glasses, the same girl who he had thought as lame.

Hyuga Hinata was a _girl_.

He couldn't believe how _stupid_ and careless he was for not searching more thoroughly. He had missed searching what was behind him. No wonder whenever they had an attendance, he couldn't spot anything. He was too focused on what his eyes could see.

Sasuke hated girls. And he officially hated Hyuga Hinata more than _anything_ else.

* * *

Ever since that mortifying loss, he had kept a wary eye on the Hyuga. Although he couldn't do as much as he wanted during classes because he was sitting in front of her, he would make sure to watch her like a hawk during breaks, despite all the women around him. He could endure anything if it meant defeating her.

So far, he gathered that she like to read books, especially as thick as an encyclopedia at what was most probably a fantasy genre. Whenever walking the hallways, she keeps her head down and, because of this, she tends to trip on her own feet or bump into someone or something; she goes to the rooftop during lunch period; she has a habit of stuttering, and it only gets worse whenever she's nervous. She doesn't seem to smile at all. And he noticed she would frequently space out and then sigh.

The last part irritated him as that behavior seemed to be the most dominant. And if he were to say it creatively, she always seemed to have that dark cloud hovering above her. If it were to rain at that rooftop, it would only complement her soggy mood._ How could she beat me when all she does is space out into some I-don't-give-a-fuck land? Pathetic!_

Sigh.

His eyebrow twitched. _Calm down. An Uchiha never loses his cool. Count to ten! Just reach the number ten. One…two…three…four…five…six…seven…looking good…eight…almost there…nine…_

Sigh.

He heard something snap. The Hyuga seemed to have heard it too for she jumped and looked up towards him. He didn't realize he was already stomping towards her. And before he could stop himself, he was already ranting half the things he was thinking just now. "Don't you have anything on you aside for spacing out and then sigh?! You read books and sigh! While you walk, you sigh! You bump somebody, you say sorry and sigh! You go to this rooftop only to sigh for the whole _fucking_ time! You don't even eat a damn thing because you're too busy sighing! What are you trying to do here? Trying out for the _Guinness World Records_? How am I supposed to beat you? I start sighing, too? To see which of us can sigh the most? We might as well find out who between the two of us can sigh the longest!" He finished, panting hard at his outburst. When he calmed down, he glared hard at the now shaking girl in front of him and he noticed a small tear form at the corners of her eyes. It was vague, but it was there, nonetheless. "Tch. Don't cry," he growled. "It's annoying."

* * *

She swallowed down a sob.

Every word he had said was like a slap to her face. She couldn't even stop herself from flinching every time he had mentioned the word "sigh".

She had been thinking an awful lot about Gaara. She kept going over the long list of reasons why he had left her. She hadn't even realized it before, but she had felt numb. She hadn't realized it until the Uchiha suddenly shouted at her. Every word that came out of his mouth became like a slap to her, a wake-up call. It stung her, stabbed her, and crushed her…but it made her open her eyes. She wallowed in her dark void, but it pulled her back to the light. It made her wonder why the words of a stranger hurt so much. Why someone who has not even spoken a word to her was now having such an effect on her.

"_Don't you have anything on you aside for spacing out and then sigh?!"_

"…_you're too busy sighing!"_

Something sparked in her. He was right. What was she doing? She allowed herself to wallow in her grief. She allowed her mind, her time, and even her heart to be occupied by Gaara. He remained in her even when he had left her. Her memories of him remained in her even when he dumped her to be with someone else. This was wrong. She shouldn't be doing this. He had moved on. So doesn't that mean she should, too?

Doesn't she have anything _better_ to do?

Surely, she cannot get him back. She had told herself Gaara deserved someone better. Besides, even if she tried, she'd still fail. Sari was world's better than her. She was the perfect girlfriend for the perfect boyfriend. How could she compete with that?

She suddenly found herself openly staring at the Uchiha, as if seeing him for the very first time. She just noticed how handsome Uchiha Sasuke really was. His jet black hair and eyes matched perfectly well for his fair skin and he had a finely chiseled facial structure and nose. She finally understood why he was popular among the girls and why they were after him.

Popular…huh?

The guy in front of her was already very popular, though he had just transferred. He was almost, if not more, popular than Gaara. Sari was also popular. So, how could she compete with that?

"_Don't you have anything on you aside for spacing out and then sigh?!"_

Doesn't she have anything better to do than think about how pitiful she was?

_You read books and sigh! While you walk, you sigh! You bump somebody, you say sorry and sigh! _

While Gaara moved on, she remained the same. Lonely…but the same.

_You go to this rooftop only to sigh for the whole fucking time! You don't even eat a damn thing because you're too busy sighing! _

She wasted every second in a minute of an hour of a day just filling her thoughts about Gaara. Every different day became the same to her because she couldn't—_wouldn't—_let go of him, of her feelings for him.

_What are you trying to do here? Trying out for the Guinness World Records? How am I supposed to beat you? I start sighing, too? To see which of us can sigh the most? We might as well find out who between the two of us can sigh the longest!"_

How is she supposed to compete with Sari? Should she be popular too? To see who among the two of them does Gaara really love?

She quickly shook her head. Her line of thinking was wrong. Gaara dumped her for Sari. She didn't want any competition. Rather…

She looked down at the ground. Her brows furrowed and her fists clenched. "I just…" she began softly, "…I want him to regret."

* * *

He was taken aback.

"I want h-him to regret his d-decision" the Hyuga said, looking back up at him. "I want h-him to feel sorry b-b-breaking up with me."

Huh? What?

She wants _who_ to feel sorry breaking up with her?

The photo of her with some guy flashed in his mind and realization came to him like a flowing river. Some days ago, he had finally identified the guy in the photo when one of the girls babbled on and on to him about how he was so much like this dude called Sabaku Gaara. She even showed him a picture of a stoic-looking redhead with eyes like green glass beads and skin almost as pale as his. He was forced to listen since she almost rubbed the picture on his face.

Thinking back on it, the last of the few times he had seen the Sabaku was always in the company of a female, his girlfriend, obviously because they were holding hands. At that time, he was too preoccupied in observing Hinata to even care about them. Oh, wait, he doesn't care at all. In any case, if the Sabaku already had a girlfriend, why did the Hyuga have a picture of them together?

And then it clicked.

Ah… so, the Hyuga wanted the Sabaku to regret breaking up with her.

He frowned. "So?" he asked, rather rudely. What does _that_ have to do with him? As if that piece of shit called personal life could benefit him in his goal.

"M-make me…make me popular like you."

He was about to shot her a glare but stopped when his eyes caught on to something. The Hyuga was looking rather…_alive_. There was a change in her mood, the aura changed as well, the dark "clouds" dissipated and he saw—more like feel—a crack in her gloomy armor, the light in Pandora's Box.

There was determination.

This was it.

This was what he was looking for. He found an opening, a chance. A chance to find her weakness and finally beat her to the top!

She opened her mouth to speak again. "Th-there's this someone—"

"Would it happen to be one…Sabaku Gaara?"

She appeared shocked for a second before she looked down and slowly nodded her head.

He smirked victoriously. This was it. If everything goes as planned—which it will—then he'd be able to surpass her in no time. "Why don't you quit your whining, then, and start changing yourself?"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the lengthy chapter and, yet, no transformation sequence has happened. I don't want things too rushed.**

**Bonus Feature: Deleted Scenes**

**-Rooftop Scene, Sasuke's POV-**

**Earlier, he had found himself standing in front of the door to the school's rooftop, in hopes to have a place where he could be alone. He had just barely managed to escape the annoying women that had surrounded him in a blink of an eye. Sighing, he opened the door and was almost glad to see no one was around until he saw a person. A girl, nonetheless. He growled to himself and was about to turn around and leave. However, nature made him stop and forced him to plant his feet on the ground when a sudden heavy gust of wind blew up his skirt. His hands quickly covered his front and brought his legs together. "Kyaa!" he said.**

**Then, he caught himself. Damn it! He doesn't have a skirt!**

**...**

**Please don't kill me, Sasuke fans! *Runs away from the horde of women chasing with kunais and shurikens* I didn't mean it! That was just for fun—although I admit that was genius. No, sorry! I couldn't help myself! Please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Holy macaroni…41 reviews and over 1000 views! I didn't think this story would be **_**that **_**liked. Thanks for sharing your awesomeness, everyone! I'm glad you liked the bonus feature XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter 3**

She instinctively took a step back. "D-Don't come any closer!" she said in horror.

Her two pursuers took a step toward her. "Hand it over and we won't have to use force" the shorter one spoke, holding out a hand.

"Please, don't…" she begged.

"This is for the better" the other said, taking another step while she moved back. "Concede and hand it over to us."

She shook her head violently. "No, please! Anything but that!" She clenched her fists. "Please don't take away my glasses! You both know how important this is to me."

Neji sighed and crossed his arms. "Hinata"

She raised her gaze up at him. "Y-yes…?"

"Weren't you the one who said you wanted to change?"

She looked back down, ashamed of her actions. "…yes" she said quietly. Then, her head shot up. "B-but…why must you take my glasses?"

Hanabi snorted. "Don't ask silly questions, Hinata nee-sama" she said. "Those glasses had seriously irked me for years on end. Why do you have to be so conscious about people's attention on you? Your eyes are beautiful. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"That does not answer my question" Hinata insisted.

Hanabi frowned. She inhaled deeply and said in one breath, "What I'm trying to say is that you look _ugly_ wearing that offensive object!"

Her sister's voice echoed in their hallways and Hinata pouted. "No need to put it so bluntly. I am fully aware that, if not for my eyes, I'd be utterly unpleasant to look at" she said.

"That's not what I meant—"

"Then, what?"

Neji stepped in. "What Hanabi meant to say is that those glasses do not go well with your appearance. It does not mean you're unattractive. It just means that, since you proclaimed to us that you wanted to change, taking off your glasses is a best way to start."

She stared at her cousin, thinking about his words. She hated it, but he was right. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Since when was Neji wrong? Okay, maybe sometimes. But most of the time, everything he says always makes sense. Reaching up, she reluctantly removed her glasses. Without it, she would never be able to hide herself. She would no longer have a cover from the stares she would surely get. She knew very well that once she hands it over to her sister and cousin, she would never be able to take it back.

Nevertheless, she gave it away.

This is what she wanted. To change. If she can't give just one object up, how was she supposed to achieve her newfound goal?

"Good" Neji said with a small smile.

Hanabi, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. "You haven't the slightest idea how long I have waited for this day to come."

And Hinata paled at that. She knew that grin. It was a mischievous one and she suddenly doubted her decision. That grin already told her enough of what was going to happen to her.

Whatever it was, she hoped she would survive by the end of the day.

* * *

She blinked once.

Twice.

Thrice.

She still couldn't believe it.

She stared at her own reflection and slowly reached a hand up to touch the surface, as if to make sure it was really her own face she's looking at. Once she was certain, a wide smile crept up to her face and a blush painted her cheeks.

This was her.

This was her own face she's seeing. It was her own lavender-tinted pupils she's directly looking. Her hair that used to be put up in a messy bun was now cascading down to her shoulders up to the small of her back like an indigo curtain of satin. Her lips that used to be chapped were applied with lip gloss and were now smooth and glossy.

It was a completely different side of her that she had forgotten.

Her hand went to touch her face. She had already seen how she looked yesterday and was even beyond shocked to say a word. But she still couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that she decided this. And it was worth it.

A knock to her bedroom door snapped her out of her thoughts. "Come in" she called to the person on the other side.

The door opened and Hanabi stepped inside. Once her eyes landed on Hinata, she smirked. "Still can't get over it, I see."

Hinata flushed in embarrassment and quickly scrambled away from the mirror. "I-is the car ready?"

Hanabi nodded. "You know, nee-sama, I was expecting the results of your make over to be a complete success. But I honestly was not prepared to see such _huge_ changes in you when the stylist had finished" she said. "He even told Neji nii-sama and I that your make over was, by far, his best work. But I think how you look now was not because of his skills but because you're a Hyuga."

Hinata tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"The stylist was just there to bring out what you had hidden. Your appearance, however, is as fine as a Hyuga's is, if not more."

She blushed. "R-Really…?" She saw her sister smile a genuine smile and she couldn't help but return it with her own.

"Now, let's go. We're going to be late" Hanabi said and left the room.

She gave herself one last glance and followed her sister outside the mansion where their driver waited for them. Without a word, they both got on the black car.

After driving Hanabi off to her school, Hinata suddenly felt nervous. What should she do? It's true she changed her appearance but that doesn't guarantee that the students wouldn't make fun of her. What if Hanabi and Neji's opinion about her change was wrong and that she looked worse than before? What if they would laugh at her? Was she trying too hard?

"Hinata-sama, we have arrived" The driver's voice made her jump.

"A-ah, y-y-yes. Th-th-thank y-you, Ko-san." Her voice sounded rough, her hands were sweaty and shaking, and she couldn't manage to leave the car. Ko was already outside holding the door for her and she couldn't even lift herself out. She wasn't mentally prepared for this, the humiliation she was about to get.

"Hinata-sama?"

Once again, she jumped. Slowly, she raised her gaze to meet a pair of eyes almost similar to hers. If it weren't for Ko's warm smile, she would've been more nervous than before.

"Perhaps it is not my place to say this, but you'll be fine. You look great, Hinata-sama. I assure you that" he said in his gentle voice.

Was she that readable? Maybe so. The Uchiha was able to read her quite well the other day. "Thank y-you, Ko-san" she said, unable to suppress the warm smile on her face. With that, she finally got herself to leave the car.

"Should I stay until you've gotten inside the building?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, thank you. I can m-manage on my o-own." And she'd like to think so, too. But she's still a little anxious.

"Alright. I'll be taking my leave, then, Hinata-sama" he said with a small bow and went back inside the car.

She watched him leave and once she could no longer see the vehicle, she turned and walked towards the school. She quickly noticed the stares she got from the surrounding students and she felt her nervousness increase tenfold. Either it was a curious glance or a surprised one. Or both. She honestly couldn't tell. All she knew was that she wanted to run out of there and hide herself someplace where she could be all alone. But she would be a complete coward if she would do that. Besides, even if she tried, she couldn't run well with shaking legs. So, she settled with lowering her head instead. She didn't have her glasses anymore. The feeling of seeing so clearly was strange as her glasses tend to have blurry lenses that provided her with limited vision. Seeing every person in her peripherals was somehow overwhelming.

"Hey, look over there" she heard someone whisper.

Her heart thudded louder. They were talking about her. What should she do? Anytime soon, someone would shout and point at her. Then, everybody would laugh. Anxiously, she waited.

But she blinked when her foot stepped on the school building's floor. Was she just turning deaf or no one has really said anything at all? She dared to turn around and gazed upon the other students. They were looking at her with curious eyes. Strange.

She turned back around and made her way to her classroom. She was a few meters away from the door when someone crashed hard into her. She had her head down so she wasn't able to identify the person. Suddenly, she felt a hand cover her mouth and an arm wrap around her waist. Panic set in. Her eyes widened and she immediately tried to free herself from their grasp. Who would do this? Judging from the structure of the body she felt pressed against her back, this one's a male. And _he_ was dragging her to a corner where no one can see them.

_Let go!_, she screamed in her head. Then, her eyes caught the horde of women that passed by them. They looked like they were searching for something…or someone.

She suddenly had an idea who was holding her. It couldn't be Gaara. He was always with Sari. There was only one person left who could attract too much attention on him.

Uchiha Sasuke.

"If you promise not to scream, I'll let you go" he whispered on her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

At her nod, he released her. She turned around and immediately regretted it. He was too close. And the proximity made her blush. She wasn't used to being this close to someone before other than Gaara. She quickly stepped back and looked at the ground. "G-Good morning, Uchiha-san" she greeted with a quick bow. He said nothing, but she waited. After a few moments, she finally heard him speak.

"Are you planning on staring at the ground for the whole day or what?"

Reluctantly, she looked up and met his gaze. She said nothing and just stared at him. When he glared, she immediately looked away. "I-I-I'm s-sorry." She didn't even know why she was apologizing.

There was silence until Sasuke spoke. "You look familiar" he suddenly said.

She stared at him in confusion. Huh? "W-W-We're c-classmates, Uchiha-san" she said.

"Are we?" he narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't remember seeing you around."

Has he already forgotten the fact that they were classmates? But then again, she supposed she wasn't really that important. It was only natural to forget someone so plain, especially since the Uchiha was always surrounded by a lot of beautiful women. She almost sighed. She'll just have to introduce herself. She had not been able to before, anyway. So, she might as well now. "My n-name's Hyuga Hinata."

She was expecting him not to remember her. But she was surprised when he appeared so shocked. Well, as shell-shocked as he could get. His eyes had widened and his posture tensed. He seemed to have lost the ability to move.

"…Uchiha-san?" she called.

He blinked and immediately straightened himself up. "So, you are that Hyuga" he said and stared down at her. "The one who everybody calls 'the nerd', the one who looked very pathetic last week…and the one who wanted me to make her popular."

She groaned silently. That last part made her lower her head in self-consciousness. What made her ask this person such an embarrassing request?

"I honestly hadn't recognized you" he said. "And your eyes"—she looked up—"I just realized you are the heiress to the Hyuga Corp. they were talking about." His eyebrow twitched and he mumbled something she didn't catch.

"P-Pardon?"

He glared at her and she didn't dare ask again. "Anyway, seeing as how you've changed yourself, I am impressed. Now I know you were serious."

"O-Of course, I am" she said, blushing. "I r-really want to d-do this."

He slid his hands inside his pockets. "I don't have the slightest idea how one becomes popular. But people usually go for appearances," he inclined his head at her, "that's why I told you to change yourself."

She nodded in understanding. "I s-see" she said. "Th-then…what should I d-do next?" When he just stared at her, she squirmed. "U-um...is it r-really that b-b-bad?"

He raised a brow, as if to say 'stupid'. "All girls are the same to me" he said. "I was just thinking what to do next." Then, his eyes slid down and quickly returned to her pale ones. "You can alter your uniform. I've seen a lot of students do it."

"My s-sister also told m-me she hated how I w-wear my uniform, b-but," she looked down at her attire, "I d-don't want it too much r-r-revealing…"

"Hmm…you meant shortening your skirt?" he said and she nodded. He frowned. "There are several ways of altering your uniform."

She titled her head to the side. "Like wh-what?"

He looked straight at her and said, "Stockings."

Stockings, the material that molds itself along one's body like a second skin. She found herself blushing. "Stockings?" she echoed.

"Your socks are ridiculous. Your attire would look so much better with stockings instead," he said and left her.

She stared at the floor for a few seconds before she followed him to their classroom. Once inside, every activity seemed to stop and people were looking at her. She felt awkward but she slowly made her way to her seat behind the Uchiha.

It was when she took her seat that everything moved again. She heard the surprised gasps and whispers of her classmates. She looked down at her table.

She supposed she would have to get used to those kinds of stares from now on.

* * *

When lunch period came, Sasuke found her at the rooftop, eating her meal alone. She seemed to have wandered off into space again and had not noticed his arrival. So, he took this chance to continue his observation on her.

Her transformation really shocked him. He had always thought that the Hyuga was trying to hide something behind those huge glasses of hers but he hadn't expected it to be something her family is well-known for. He was too engrossed looking for weaknesses before that he hadn't realized her surname to be the exact same one of the famous Hyuga Corporation.

"_Why do you make me feel so stupid?"_

He had mumbled in front of her earlier, to which he was thankful she didn't hear. He didn't want to show any sign of weaknesses, much less to his rival.

Suddenly, he found himself staring at her hair. He never would have guessed she had such long and lustrous hair with that pitiful excuse of a hairstyle she had before. He briefly wondered how her hair now would feel against his fingers.

And her lips…have it always been that _luscious_?

He blinked in surprise. What was he thinking? Maybe he was just getting hungry. Silently, he made his way towards the girl who was still lost in thought and sat a few feet in front of her. She held her chopsticks to her lower lip with her lunch box still filled with food.

Then, he heard the sound he had grown to despise.

Sigh.

He glared at her. She didn't seem to notice him at all for the far-away look still in her eyes. "Should I choke you just so you would stop that?" he spat.

She jumped and finally _looked_ at him. "U-Uchiha-san, s-since when did you g-get here?"

"Since forever" he said, still glaring.

She squirmed under his gaze. "H-Have you e-eaten yet?"

"No"

"…Why n-not?" she said, tilting her head.

He just shrugged and looked away, not wanting to answer.

"A-Aren't you h-hungry—"

"I am." He frowned. Of course he is! What a stupid question! He had eaten so little during breakfast.

"Th-then why—"

"Because I can't!" he shouted and she jumped. "Those damn girls won't leave me alone! How am I supposed to buy my own lunch when they're everywhere?! Stop asking questions!"

She fell silent and stared down at her lunch. "I'm s-sorry…" she whispered. Then, she picked up her lunch box and handed it to him.

He stared at her in surprise. What…what was she doing?

She shakily smiled at him. "I'll g-give you mine if y-you want."

What was she planning? Why is she giving all of it to him? He narrowed his eyes on her lunch. Did she poison it? So that he won't have a chance to defeat her?

"I-I'm not r-really hungry" she said. "S-So, you can h-have it, Uchiha-san."

Hmph! As if! He's not going to fall for such a trick!

"Though, I suppose you wouldn't like it. The chef cooked vegetables today and he had put a lot of tomatoes in—"

He grabbed the lunch box from her without thinking. He stared at the meal in his hands and frowned. Damn! As soon as she said 'tomatoes' he wasn't able to stop himself. He looked at her suspiciously. How did she know it was his favorite? Was she spying on him, too?

He mentally shook his head. He was being ridiculous. He had watched her the whole time for the past few weeks. Spying on him was close to impossible. He had the urge to punch himself. In his hungry state, he wasn't really being reasonable. He'd just have to take her offer and eat her lunch.

When he held his palm out to her, she gave him a confused look. "Hand over the chopsticks" he said.

She looked down at the chopsticks on her hand and blushed.

He knew what she was thinking. "Just so you know, it won't be an 'indirect kiss' as you girls like to name it. It's more like sharing your bacteria with the other. It's disgusting. So, there's no reason for you to be so shy about it." When she paled at his words, he smirked. She slowly handed him her chopsticks. He grabbed it and ate.

The food was delicious. But he didn't want to admit it out loud. Why should he? She wasn't the one who cooked it, anyway. He finished the meal after a minute and she offered him a bottle of water. He hesitantly accepted but immediately got over it and drained it quickly. "So," he said after handing her back the empty bottle, "I was thinking of what you were lacking."

She stared at him. "Lacking?"

He stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. "The looks, the manners, even the riches, you have all of them." She blushed and he frowned. She probably thought he was complimenting her. Well, hell no, he wasn't. He continued, "You may have everything now but you lack one very important thing…" he met her gaze, "_confidence_."

She broke away from his stare and looked down.

"You don't have it" he said.

"I-I-I—"

"And there's that stutter. Get rid of it."

"B-But how d-do I—" she stammered, her eyes still glued to the ground.

"First off," he said, "look at me when talking."

She gulped but followed as told. She slowly looked up and met his gaze. He knew she was hesitant but he had to give it to her. She got guts.

"Now, hold it for at least a minute" he said.

"B-B-But I—"

"Shut up"

And she obeyed. But no sooner than ten seconds, she looked away.

"Again" he said, frowning.

"I-I can't" she said, her face bright-red. "I'm n-not used t-t-to this…"

"I don't care" he gritted out. "Again."

She looked at him once more, her gaze faltering.

But after just a few seconds, she looked away. Every time she does that he would insist that they repeat it again. They continued doing this until the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.

So far, she was able to hold his gaze for thirty seconds, at most. He almost scoffed at how pathetic she was. It was such a simple task. Why can't she do it right?

"We'll continue this tomorrow" he said, glaring down at her. "And by that time, you better reach a minute." With that, he left.

* * *

He was _mean_.

She stared at his back while the class went on. What had made her ask this person such a funny request? He shows her no mercy _at all_. If anything, she felt hated by him. Sure, she was used to being hated by the others. But this guy, this…this cold person acted like he _loathed_ every fiber of her being. He always glares at her. What was wrong with him? Then, she remembered what he had said to her earlier that day.

"_All girls are the same to me" _

Realization dawned on her. The Uchiha didn't like girls. And because she was a girl, he hates her. She suppressed a frown. Well, he sure is judgmental. He should know that not all girls are the same. For one, she was very plain compared to the other girls. That should give him enough reason not to treat her the same way, right?

Why couldn't he be a bit kinder? It wouldn't hurt him. But then again, maybe it will. No one knows the true capabilities of his fan girls. One moment they're sane, on the next they've gone on a rampage. So, she supposed his action towards them was reasonable. He wanted to keep them away from him as much as possible, to which he was kind of failing because of their persistence. The downside of being popular, you get to suffer a lot.

She remembered how hungry he was when he ate her lunch. He told her that he wasn't able to buy his lunch because of his fan girls. Why, did he not have his own boxed lunch? Surely, they have a chef back home. Why doesn't he bring one to save him the trouble from going to the cafeteria?

She just couldn't understand him. In a way, he reminded her of Gaara. His coldness and distance from her, it was almost as if she's talking to Gaara again. The thought warmed her heart for a second before she caught herself and quickly waved it off. When would she stop thinking about those things? She should just focus on gathering up her courage for her next torture session with the Uchiha. She briefly wondered, though, what made him agree? But in some way, she was grateful to him that he accepted helping her.

Suddenly, guilt struck her like a bolt of lightning. She was the one who asked him to help her. Once, he had done just that earlier, but she did nothing but complain. Shame filled her more than ever. Somehow, she felt that his meanness towards her was justifiable. Maybe he wasn't judgmental. Maybe the problem was her being so whiny.

She almost banged her head on the table for her stupidity. Tomorrow, she will have to do far better than how she fared earlier and follow his every instruction. And, as an afterthought, maybe she should bring a boxed lunch for him as well…as thanks for his help.

The thought made her smile.

* * *

The next day, Hanabi came into her room and was surprised to see her. Instead of wearing her mid-calf length socks, she had on a pair of black stockings. Her sister had commented that it was such a waste she wouldn't shorten her skirt. But she said it looked good nonetheless.

When she had arrived in school, she saw Uchiha Sasuke along the way to the classroom. It appeared he was hiding from the girls once again. He was in the same spot where he had hidden with her yesterday. When he noticed her, his eyes slid down and just as quickly looked away. Out of curiosity, she asked him what gave him the idea that stockings would look better on her.

"Preferences" was his short reply, giving her a side-glance.

She wondered what he meant. Was he saying he preferred girls with knee-length skirts and stockings more than girls with short skirts? She shook her head, almost laughing at her trail of thought. He wouldn't. She dismissed the idea. The Uchiha probably has some good fashion sense.

When lunch came, she immediately left for the rooftop to eat her lunch. But before she could even exit the room two guys blocked her way. She almost bumped into them in her hurry to get out.

"Whoa, there!" one exclaimed and held her forearms to balance her.

"What's the hurry, Hinata?" the other said.

She looked up in surprise. Were her classmates just talking to her? That's new. Her eyes landed on the hands that were still holding her. She felt uncomfortable. "U-um…"

The guy let her go. "Sorry 'bout that" he said with a small chuckle.

All she wanted to do on that moment was stare at the floor. But then, she remembered what the Uchiha told her about the first step to obtaining confidence. Shakily, she looked at her two classmates in the eyes. "I-Is there a-anything you n-n-need?" she asked, almost whispering.

They both smiled. "Come and have lunch with us!" the shorter one of them said.

It took her a moment to process his words. Her eyes widened. "Eh?"

"Well, you know, it's a way of saying sorry" the other said, "for all the bad things we said to you."

Her brows creased when she tried to remember the time when they did such a thing. Honestly, she couldn't recall anything. She had lost count of all the times she had been bullied.

"So, what do you say?" They both looked at her expectantly.

"Move out of the way" a voice behind her spoke.

She turned around. "Uchiha-san..."

He looked pretty annoyed. Two girls clung to each of his arms and around ten or more crowded behind him.

The Uchiha glared at the girls, especially those holding his arms. "Let me go" he seethed.

"My, you're so scary, Sasuke-kun~!" a fan girl said in what Hinata assumed to be a flirty tone.

His glare darkened. "Let go."

The girl pouted. "And let the other girls take over? No way."

His jaw tightened. It was then that he seemed to have taken notice of her standing in front of him and looking at the scene. Then, his eyes shifted to the two guys she was just talking to before he interrupted. He frowned at them. "What are you looking at?!"

She immediately looked away. She glanced at the two guys and realized they had done the same. Uchiha Sasuke was really a scary person. _And a mean one_, she added in her mind.

"Hey!" a fan girl yelled. "Isn't it my turn already?!"

"No, I believe it is mine!"

"Liar! Your turn ended a few seconds ago!"

Hinata looked up just in time to see a girl push another one to the ground. She only heard a scream and a slap when she noticed the Uchiha rush towards her and grabbed her by the forearm rather roughly. He pulled her with him and left the classroom.

"Ah" she squeaked.

"Wait—" she heard one of the guys call out before the door slid shut behind them.

They ran. He dragged her and she obediently followed. They received weird stares from the other students but neither of them really paid much attention.

As soon as they got to the rooftop, he finally released his grip on her. She examined her crumpled sleeve. There was a throbbing pain around her arm. She just hoped it wouldn't bruise later. And was it really necessary for him to grab her that hard? She wanted to glare at him, but unfortunately couldn't find the courage to do so.

"Great," he mumbled, "no lunch for me again."

Oh, that's right. She brought something for him. "U-um, excuse m-me, Uchiha-san" she said and he turned to her, frowning, "I...um…" she stammered while trying her hardest on letting her eyes stay on him, "I b-brought you l-l-lunch…I h-hope you d-didn't m-mind."

He narrowed his eyes, almost suspiciously. "Why?"

She suddenly felt so small under his intense gaze. Her lips trembled and it was really hard to talk. "A-As thanks f-for agreeing t-to help m-me. I-It's the l-least I c-could do" she said. She went and sat down against the wall just beside the door of the rooftop. Then, she placed in her lap the lunch boxes she had carried with her. It was wrapped neatly with a white cloth and she untied the knot that held it in place. She picked one of the two lunch boxes and nervously handed it over to him. "P-P-Please a-accept it" she muttered, unable to help but stare at her lap. She could feel the blush on her cheeks. She suddenly felt like she was confessing to him and was giving him a love letter—which was obviously not the case.

After what felt like hours, he finally walked and sat in front of her. Wordlessly, he took the lunch and chopsticks from her extended hand. When he opened the box, he stared at his meal. His eyes wandered at the different kinds of food. He looked like he was searching for something.

"I-Is the f-food not to y-your liking, Uchiha-san?" she asked with uncertainty.

He looked at her, then. He seemed hesitant about something for it took time before he spoke. "…No tomatoes…this time?"

She blinked at him. "Um…n-no, I-I'm sorry" she said. "Why? D-Do you like t-tomatoes?"

"What if I do?" he said, frowning. "What about it?"

She squirmed. "N-Nothing. I'm s-s-sorry—"

"Stop apologizing" he spat.

"I-I'm s-so—" She slapped a hand to her mouth.

"Just shut up and eat"

There was silence between them as they ate. When she suddenly remembered what happened earlier, she swallowed down her food and asked, "Why d-did you bring m-me with you?"

He glanced at her. "To continue your practice."

She nodded in response. She fell silent for a second before she spoke once more. "H-How's the f-food?"

His brows creased, most probably in annoyance with her asking. She realized, then, he has little patience in him. "Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"Ah…no, it's j-just that..." she looked down on her food and bit her lip, "I c-cooked it."

She could've sworn he wanted to vomit everything out right then and there with how he was looking at her. Was her cooking really that bad? She had always thought otherwise from all the praises she got from Neji and Hanabi.

"I thought" his voice croaked and he cleared his throat, "I thought you have a chef?"

"Y-Yes, I h-have" she said. "B-But when I t-tried requesting h-him to m-make an extra l-lunch, h-he had to decline b-because my f-father w-was in th-the kitchen and w-was having h-his b-breakfast. M-My father isn't e-exactly the a-agreeable type."

"Then, how were you able to cook?" he said, narrowing his eyes.

"I h-have a k-kitchen f-for my o-own" she said. "I-It was father's p-present f-for my fourteenth b-birthday."

He said nothing and just looked at her. Did he not believe her? He surprised her when he started eating again. "…I guess this is okay" he muttered so quietly that she almost didn't catch it.

She found herself smiling at his words. "Th-that's a relief" she said. He gave her a glare but she waved it off this time.

When they finished their meal, she stacked the empty boxes and wrapped it back with the white cloth. The Uchiha stood up and she followed. Now is when they start her practice. She'll have to do well. She had tried staring at her own reflection in the mirror back at home but she figured that, because it was herself she looking at, she wasn't uncomfortable. With the Uchiha, it was a different matter.

"One minute" he said and she nodded.

She had to do this….to change, to have confidence. She raised her eyes and stared at his black orbs. A wave of discomfort washed through her. There it was again. Every time she looked at him, she would immediately feel uneasy. His stare was always so intense and she felt that if she were to look much longer, she would drown on the darkness that was his eyes. She tried shaking off the feeling. And she failed.

She quickly averted her eyes to the ground.

He grunted. "Still, thirty seconds" he said. "If you can't do it, you might as well give up."

"No" she said. "O-once more…please."

* * *

An emotion flickered in her eyes and he smirked. The Hyuga has no plan backing down anytime soon. Good…because he would have called her a coward if she did.

She met his gaze again.

Her cheeks were an interesting shade of red. Earlier when they had started, it was a light pink. Gradually, as the seconds passed, it turned darker and darker until she had looked away. Somehow, he found himself predicting the next color. Besides, there wasn't really anything better to do than just wait for the one minute that the Hyuga would not be able to achieve.

Fifteen seconds had passed.

He studied her eyes. Her gaze was faltering, as expected. A few more seconds more and she won't be able to handle it longer.

Twenty seconds.

Her eyes also had an interesting shade. Her grayish-white orbs had the slightest hint of lavender in them. It was his first time seeing such unique eyes up close. He had only heard about the Hyuga eyes from the rumors going around. It was said that their eyes were so pale they almost looked blind. He had to agree. But in some way, he disagreed. Looking into the eyes of this Hyuga in front of him, he had to say that her eyes looked more like pearls. Or better yet, a mirror.

A mirror staring into his very soul…

He paused. Wait…how many seconds had already passed? He had been lost in thought…all because of her eyes. Should he stop the activity? Maybe he shouldn't. The longer she can hold his gaze, the better.

He focused his eyes on her when something suddenly overcame him. It was as if his mind had only just registered that she was looking at him. With those mirror-like eyes. He felt strange. He felt as if her eyes were reflecting him. The way her eyes reflected the light looked like she could read his mind, his thoughts, even his feelings.

His heart raced.

Weird. This was all too weird. The Hyuga's eyes were fixed on him and him alone. He felt strange and he couldn't understand why.

His cheeks burned.

"E—" his mouth just opened, "Enough!" He whipped his head to the side. He suddenly couldn't stand looking at her.

"…Uchiha-san?" her soft voice hesitantly called. "H-Has a minute p-passed?"

He absolutely had no idea. "Yeah…"

"D-Did I…did I d-do well?" she said.

He was still turned away from her, so she wasn't able to see his scowl. "Yes" he said. He could just guess her beaming with happiness with the soft laugh she made. Too bad he couldn't—wouldn't—congratulate her. He wasn't in the mood.

What was she doing to him? Had she put something on his food? If so, what? What made him feel weird just now? The feeling was gone and he hoped it would never return. He _wished_ it wouldn't. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned for the door. He heard her call him but he didn't stop. He couldn't bear looking at her right now.

He really did hate her.

* * *

**A/N: "Sasuke the meanie" should be a befitting name for him, don't you think? Ooh, sorry for another lengthy chapter. I tried shortening it but there were just some parts I couldn't skip. Moving on, I have something I wanted to try with you, dear readers. I saw an author of ff do this and I guess I wanted to try it too. (Hehe copy cat XD) Okay, I will ask a question and I would like you to answer based on what you think will happen. Pretty please?**

**Here's the question: In what situation will Gaara see the new Hinata? (Will he pass by her in the hallways or something?)**

**Please know that I have already a set timeline. But I am open for suggestions. Who knows, maybe I'll include your much more creative ideas. ;) Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm **_**really**_** sorry to have kept you waiting. Blame our internet. I had planned to update last three weeks ago but our internet connection just keep on getting disconnected. I really hate it when it does that. But thank you for being patient. Also, thank you to those who answered my question. I was overjoyed that many of you participated in my Q&A activity. I love you, everyone! **

**On to the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter 4**

When will she _ever_ stop?

Jade eyes reflecting barely controlled aggravation slid down to look at his girlfriend. She had been chatting non-stop about how another guy confessed to her despite everyone's knowledge of their relationship. He swallowed an exasperated sigh. Even if all the guys from around the world would gather around, telling her how much they love her or couldn't live without her, he couldn't care less. Not because he trusted that he was the only man she wanted to be with, but simply because he just couldn't imagine bothering himself with such trivial matters.

"Gaara-kun, hey!"

He winced at the shout near his ear. "What?" he snapped.

Sari instinctively took a step back, surprised by his foul mood. She quickly forced a pout. "You weren't listening to me at all" she said in a voice that made guys swoon.

Unfortunately for her, he was immune to it. "Technically, I was listening"

Her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You kept on talking about the same thing for the past thirty minutes," he paused and glanced at her, "so I only listened to half of it."

Annoyance clouded her expression and for a second, he thought she was going to shout at him. Instead, she turned away and crossed her arms. "Whatever" she said. "But I got one more thing to say." She didn't wait anymore for him to reply when she turned back around and said, "Did you know about this rumor going around that there's a new girl in school?"

He sighed. Sari always had this habit of gossiping. That would have been fine with him as long as she kept it to herself. Apparently, she couldn't keep her mouth shut and, if he could, he'd gladly sew her lips together for her. "Stop stalling, Sari" he said. "Get on with it."

She frowned but complied. "She appears to be the current talk of the whole school" she said. "I've seen her myself once on my way to the classroom. But it was just a glimpse so I can't describe her except that she had long dark blue hair."

He just nodded, not wanting Sari to think he wasn't paying attention and shout at him again.

"Well," she said with a smile, "you don't seem interested."

"Why? Do you want me to?" he said, mildly amused.

Her smile dropped and her expression turned dark almost immediately. "No."

His amusement raised a notch, his face revealing nothing but a smirk. "But I am now considering it."

"I said NO!"

Silence followed while he blankly looked at his girlfriend. "If that's the case, then you shouldn't have told me about it" he said and lowered his head to hers. Her breath hitched. Perhaps she thought he was going to kiss her. "Stop acting paranoid" he whispered, staring straight into her brown eyes. "You're jealous, aren't you? If what you've been saying is true, you're afraid that this girl would steal your fame away." Then, he smirked rather evilly. "Too bad I'm in no mood to reassure you."

She fell silent, unable to do anything but stare at him in shock.

His smirk dropped, returning to his usual impassive look. He straightened himself up before he turned to the empty corridor and walked away.

* * *

The bell rang, signaling the dismissal for the day. Gaara was strolling around the school, relieved that he was able to relax his ears from Sari's endless yapping. How he managed to endure it for long was beyond him. After all, he never had to deal with mere problems like those with Hinata.

He came to a stop.

His eyes settled on the signage of the library when the door opened. He suddenly found himself staring at long silky indigo hair, contrasted by pale skin on a delicate feminine face. To his dismay, the girl had her head bowed low and her eyes to the ground so he wasn't able to see anything more.

"Isn't that her?"

He turned his gaze to the voice at his far right to see a guy whispering to his friends. It occurred to him that he wasn't the only one looking at the girl, seeing as how the other students present were staring at her like she came from the outer space.

"That's her," one of them said with a nod, "the new girl."

Gaara looked at the said girl with scrutinizing eyes. _So, that's the one Sari was talking about_, he thought. No wonder she feels threatened. The girl was really a sight to see. In his case, he couldn't help but stare. There was something about her but he couldn't determine what it is exactly.

"Really?" another whispered. "Well, you won't believe what I heard. They say she's actually H—"

"Gaara-kun!"

His head whipped to the side to see a somewhat familiar girl running towards him, waving her hand high up in the air. Upon reaching him, she crouched down, trying to regain her breath.

"There you are" she huffed.

He just stared at her, racking his brain for information about the girl in front of him.

Brown eyes blinked at him in confusion. "Wha—"

"Who are you?" he interrupted.

She fell silent, her eyes wide with shock. Then, all of a sudden, she laughed. "What? You don't remember me?"

His eyes narrowed in annoyance. "That's why I asked."

The girl shook her head with a dramatic sigh. She tucked a brown strand of hair behind her ear and looked at him. "It's me, Matsuri, Sari's best friend" she said. "Now, you remember?"

He blankly looked at her. _That explains why I got a strong feeling of displeasure._

"What's with that look, Gaara-kun?" she said, raising a brow in question. Then, she gasped. "Don't tell me…you're uncomfortable around me because of _that_, aren't you?"

He crossed his arms. "I don't like you" he bluntly said. "It has always remained that way even before your confession to me."

"Ouch" she winced, "Why do you have to be so direct?"

"Why are you here?"

She smiled. "Sari's been looking for you."

He frowned. "Then, why isn't she here instead?" _What are you, her slave?_ He glanced away and suddenly paused when the indigo-haired girl was nowhere to be found. His eyes searched the surrounding area but he couldn't spot her. _Where had she gone?_

"Hey, Gaara-kun?"

Without much of a thought, he left Matsuri and went to search for the mysterious girl. His mind vaguely registered that the loud girl called after him, asking where he was going. He wondered why he cared to look for the girl but quickly decided that he would answer that later when he had found her.

He turned around a corner. _Just who is she?_

"Where have you been?!"

He abruptly halted and stared at Sari like she just popped out of nowhere. If she hadn't spoken, he wouldn't have noticed her in front of him at all. His eyes looked over her shoulder, searching hard for the long-haired girl only to find nothing but several random students loitering around the hallways.

He glanced down at Sari, who had a very irritated expression on her face. Well, seeing as he would be forced to hear yet another long speech, he'd have to stop his search for now.

He narrowed his eyes at nothing in particular. _But I'll make sure I'll see her again._

* * *

Straightening her back and looking forward with her chin up, Hinata walked along the line drawn out on the ground.

She glanced at the Uchiha standing at the side with his arms crossed, watching her feet move in graceful steps. These past few days had been strange for her. Not that the fact that the Uchiha was helping her wasn't, but his behavior was weird. If he wasn't distant enough before her practice had started, now she was certain he was _very_ far-away. After her first practice which required her to hold her stare for a minute, he would no longer look at her straight in the eyes. At rare times, he did, but it was only for a moment before he'd look away. It's funny how he told her to do as he said and talked about confidence when he, himself, could barely stand to look at her now. She guessed if it weren't for her request for help, he would have already avoided her like the plague.

She stopped walking and turned to the Uchiha.

"Good" he said. It was the only compliment she had ever heard of him, but it was enough to make her feel happy. He continued, "Now that we have that out of the way, we'll work on your facial expressions tomorrow." That signaled the end of their session.

She titled her head. "Facial expressions?" she echoed. So far, she had learned to look at a person in the eyes when talking, to speak in a loud and clear voice—that resulted in the absence of her stuttering—and to walk in a confident manner—which she had just mastered.

He gave her a curt nod before sitting himself down near the rooftop's entrance. She followed, sitting a distance in front of him. She grabbed the lunch boxes and handed one to him.

He stared at it for a moment before accepting the offer. "Why do you continue to do this?" he said while opening his lunch and separating the chopsticks.

She blinked at his sudden question. It eventually became a habit for her to make him a lunch that the thought of him getting tired of her cooking didn't occur to her. "Should I not?" she warily asked him.

He paused halfway through digging his chopsticks at the food. "I didn't say that" he said and took a bite of a sliced tomato. He chewed a few times before gulping it down. He was quiet for a moment before he said, "Today's different."

She looked down at her food. "I tried another method of cooking it" she said. "Is it bad?"

He didn't answer and just continued eating.

She lowered her head in depression. "You could throw it away if you'd like—"

"I wouldn't be eating it if it's disgusting" he said and she smiled. He quickly averted his gaze to the side. "Though this would go well with some _onigiri_ (rice ball)" he muttered.

She blinked. "_Onigiri_?"

"With _okaka_ (dried skipjack tuna) …"

She smiled warmly at this bit of information about him. He never had opened up to her, even by the slightest, so she was a little overwhelmed. "What else does Uchiha-san like?"

His head snapped to her and his brows furrowed. "Huh?"

"Are there any more food that you like?" she said. "So that, next time, I could make it for you."

He looked down at his lunch. "You don't have to."

"But I want to" she said, surprising both of them.

He fell silent for a second before he muttered, "_Onigiri_ and tomatoes, that's all." Then, he looked at her. "But let me warn you, I _hate_ anything sweet."

Her smile widened. "I'll see to it" she said with a nod.

There was silence once more while they ate their meal. The Uchiha was the first to break it, "What about you?"

She looked at him. "Pardon?"

He set the lunch box and chopsticks down, his eyes on the ground. "What do you like to eat?"

It took a while for her to register what he had just said. Was he just asking about her favorite food? It was unlikely for him to ask her personal questions. Remembering that she had not given him an answer yet, she said, "Cinnamon rolls." Then she smiled, deciding she would open up a little to him just as he had done to her. "Unlike Uchiha-san, I really love sweets. But there are some dishes that I like the least…such as crabs."

"Hn" was all his reply. Then, his eyes shifted to something beside her and he nodded his head to it. "That's new."

She followed his gaze to find the book from the library. "Yes," she said, picking it up, "I just borrowed this yesterday." She turned to him with wide-eyes. "But I'm surprised Uchiha-san noticed." She didn't know he was that observant. Come to think of it, the first time he snapped at her, he mentioned things about her routine.

Was he watching her?

She quickly dismissed the idea. She shouldn't entertain such silly notions. Who would even want to spy on her?

The Uchiha just shrugged. "What's in fantasy books?' he suddenly said, looking off to the side. "We're living in reality. Why do people insist on thinking 'what if's and 'what would've been's?"

She frowned at his words. He made it sound like reading fantasy books was bad. And although he sounded like he was just musing about it, she felt the need to explain to him. "Well, in my opinion, it is better than becoming insane."

He raised a brow. "So it's just a means in keeping your sanity, then?

He was mildly amused, she could feel it. His tone was almost mocking her. Somehow, that irked her and she glared hard at him. "No. It's to keep away from people like you who would rather wallow themselves in reality no matter how suffocating it is" she snapped, though her voice remained soft.

He stared, stunned. Then, he chuckled.

She looked at him as if he had, indeed, gone insane. "Has reality finally taken a toll on you, Uchiha-san?"

He snorted, an unlikely sound she never heard from him. His lips formed a smirk. "You're learning well, Hyuga" he said in a tone tinged with something similar to pride and amusement.

"Eh?" She blinked in confusion. Learning what? Learning to identify who's demented and who's not?

At her confusion, he explained, "You're growing confident with your words."

She blushed, embarrassed at the realization of what she had just said.

"Anyway," he said in a bored tone, "the exams are coming up." His eyes settled on her with such intensity.

She nodded. "Yes, it is."

He fell silent, looking like he was reading her. Then, he averted his gaze. "Shouldn't you be studying instead of doing this?"

She blinked in curiosity, wondering where the conversation was going. "I have my own time to study."

"Hn"

"Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "Just a random thought how you keep up with your academics."

She just nodded in understanding. For a moment, he almost looked like he wanted to prod her more on the topic but he never voiced it out. Perhaps she was just reading too much on his expression…or he was good at hiding what was on his mind. She honestly didn't know. The Uchiha was too complicated for her to comprehend.

She studied him for a moment until realization slowly dawned on her and she couldn't contain her gasp. His eyes shifted to hers in question. "I'm so sorry!" she said with a hand over her mouth. "I'm preventing you from your studies! I'm really sorry!"

The twitching of his brow was almost unnoticeable. He looked at her with a slight sneer like he was just insulted. "Don't be stupid" he grumbled.

Relief washed over her. So she wasn't keeping him from his matters, after all. But just to be sure, she wanted to confirm it. "…Really?"

"Hn" he grunted and looked away.

She blinked at the sound he made. "Um...'hn'?" she asked with uncertainty. What could that possibly mean? Was that a yes or a no?

His head snapped to her and he glared. "Focus on your own goal instead of wasting your time with mine."

She winced. He really scared her with just the simplest glare and harsh words. Her eyes slid down to her skirt pocket. _My goal…huh?_ She pulled out the photo of Gaara and her, looking at it with sadness.

For weeks she strived to be confident through the help of the Uchiha. She got herself in such a shameful state to the point of even asking—no, _begging_—him to change her. She had to endure his terrifying aura, his glares and very awful and mean remarks just so she could accomplish what he required her to do and let him continue helping her. She had to hold her tears in front of him whenever she remembered the reason why she was doing all these effort because she knew once she showed him her pitiful side, he would be disgusted with her, immediately give up on teaching and throw her away like she was a lost cause. As a result, she would end up crying herself to sleep in her room every night, sobbing as quietly as she could so as not to alarm anybody in the household.

"_Let's break up"_

Gaara had sounded so nonchalant about it. And that was what made it hurt all the more. They lasted for a year, but he ended them like it was only seconds. Not only that, he left without a single explanation as to why.

She kept blaming her incompetence, but she knew there was obviously something more to it. Why would they last long if he only dated her for her appearance? Besides, that time, she didn't even have much to show, so that couldn't be the case. What did he see that made him agree to go out with her? This was the question she kept on asking herself

If ever she'd have the chance to talk to Gaara, will she be able to ask him?

She mentally sighed. Probably not. She's more likely to run away before he could even notice she was there.

"Is it sympathy you want?" the Uchiha suddenly said.

Her head snapped up in surprise. "Eh?" she looked at him in question, brows furrowing slightly. "Um, no."

He glanced at photo still in her hand. "Stop looking at it." When all she did was stare at him, he continued, "That picture is a hindrance to your goal. Throw it."

She started. "But…!"

His gaze settled on her for a second before he held up his hand. "Fine," he said, "give it to me."

He'll throw it himself? She frowned. Why does he always order her around so strictly? She's no puppet! "No" she said calmly, defiantly.

"Give it to me, Hyuga."

She almost jumped. His voice was low and sounded dangerous. Still, she won't back down. Lifting her chin, she evenly looked at him. "I believe I have given my reply, Uchiha-san."

"Hyuga" he warned.

"Uchiha-san."

Silence.

Then, everything went fast forward.

She gasped, eyeing at him in surprise when he dived towards her and reached out for the photo. She jerked her hand away, squeezing her eyes shut and bracing herself for impact. They fell to the ground with a loud thud with him on top of her. He pushed himself off her, snatching her wrists and pinning them above her head before she could even react. He tried to take the photo again but she tightened her grip on it.

"U-Uchiha-san…!" she squeaked, straining to keep her hold on the photo. She gasped when he squeezed her wrists to loosen her hold and was finally able to grab it.

He smirked down at her.

She tried to snatch it back but realized that he still had one hand holding her wrists. "Uchiha-san, please give it back" she said with clear desperation.

He raised a brow. "After all the effort?" he said. "No."

"Give it back" she said with a glare.

He lowered his head to her, his weight pressing against her. "No" he whispered, his breath tickling her lips that sent shivers down her spine.

Her face burst into flames. Wha—what's with their position? She could feel him well, his breath, his warmth, his body. His face was so close to her too, she couldn't take it. She'll freak out at any second the longer they stayed like this. "Uchiha-san…" she breathed, turning her face slightly away from him.

He tensed almost immediately. It seemed it also just occurred to him their proximity with each other. He scrambled away from her and stood up abruptly. She gratefully followed and straightened her uniform.

Awkward silence engulfed both of them.

He cleared his throat and held up the photo. "I'm taking this" he said.

She made to grab for it and it was when he drew back his hand that a sudden gust of wind blew the photo away. She gasped. _Again?!_

Both of them tried to reach for it but the photo already flew away from the rooftop. They ran to the railings and stared when it got stuck with the tree's branches at the school field.

She breathed a sigh of relief and then paused. She slowly turned to the Uchiha to find him looking back at her. In an instant, they were out the door and racing towards the school grounds.

After crossing several halls and descending many flights of stairs, she was able to arrive first. She stopped to gasp for air when he arrived shortly after. She rushed to the tree across them where her photo was.

She abruptly halted at the foot of the tree, realizing it was out of her reach. How was she supposed to get it? With a skirt on, she just can't climb her way to the branch without exposing something.

It was then that he walked to her and checked the situation. He looked at her and smirked smugly. Without a word, he climbed the tree with surprising ease and took the photo.

She helplessly watched him climb back down. "You really won't give it to me, would you?" she said with a small pout.

He looked at the picture. "No."

"Why? It's the least you could do after you nearly lost it" she said, a frown marring her features.

He turned to her. "This would've been lost a long time ago if it weren't for me catching it."

She almost winced. He was right. It was thanks to him that she could still keep it with her. "But you'd throw it anyway" she said. "What's the point?"

He raised a brow in question. "Who says I'll throw it?"

She paused. "You…won't?"

"Hn"

She could only assume it was his sound of confirmation."But you said—"

"I only told you to hand it over."

She stared dumbfounded. "Oh…"

Without warning, he lifted a hand and flicked her forehead.

"Ah!" she squeaked, wincing in pain. She gently rubbed the spot that started to redden.

"Idiot" he muttered.

She nervously laughed. So he wasn't that heartless as to throw her treasured picture away. He wasn't as bad as she thought he was. She was glad she was mistaken. "Sorry" she said.

"Hn."

_Apology accepted, I suppose…_

* * *

Gaara had long stopped in his tracks as soon as his eyes caught on a blue-haired girl outside through the window.

_The same girl from yesterday._ His eyes shifted to the guy beside her. _That's…Uchiha Sasuke._ He looked at the girl again.

From his view on the third floor's hall, he can finally see her face. She has a very unique pair of eyes in such a pale, porcelain-like face. Jade eyes narrowed. There was really something _very_ familiar about her. But what?

He kept his eyes on her and studied her face some more. _Such pale eyes…_

An image flashed in his mind.

His eyes widened and he leaned closer to the window, almost touching his face against the glass surface. _No, couldn't be…_

The Uchiha suddenly flicked the girl's forehead. He started as soon as he saw her laugh. _She couldn't be…_

But her indigo hair, pale face, pale eyes said it all. The mysterious girl that caught his attention was actually…

_Hinata?!_

* * *

**A/N: Dun Dun Dun! Lol. I'll just tell you ahead of time that I might not be able to update very soon. I got a lot of school-related things to do and I wouldn't find time writing for the mean time. I'm sorry but please bear with me.**

**Oh, and those who predicted the correct answer, congratulations! :D**


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